A MESSAGE FROM THE BEYOND – from Are We Spiritual Yet – on Amazon

She had been a great beauty in her time. After a failed marriage and the disintegration of her relationship with her only son, she had several relationships with very wealthy men.

She was a gorgeous ”trophy” girlfriend. They took her to exclusive restaurants – and all over the world, staying in the finest hotels, sailing on the most luxurious ships and bought her jewels, clothes – gave her money and anything else she wanted.

When I met Lee she was far beyond her prime. She reminded me of a tiny, old silent screen star – long bleached blonde hair, wearing heavy eye makeup and inappropriate clothing which ranged from glitzy outfits to cowboy attire with lots of fringe.

She was a fascinating character with many stories to tell so she was fun to be around.

Sometimes, when she reminisced, she talked about one of her favorite places – the Capri Palace Hotel at the top of Anacapri Mountain with spectacular views over the Bay of Naples. But she had seen and done it all.

She latched on to me as a prospective drinking buddy. Decided I was a perfect candidate. I lived nearby and was single.

But I could not go beyond one or two drinks at the Pump Room, which was a geriatric singles bar on Friday nights. I was a big disappointment to her when I left early.

One morning, she called to ask me how she happened to have 50 balloons in her apartment when she woke up. I didn’t know since I had left at 9 PM. There were no balloons around at that time.

Since she knew every bartender in Chicago, I suggested she make a few calls to solve the after 9 PM mystery. She hung up on me.

Later, she told me she still liked me but I wasn’t much of a sport.

I plead guilty to the charge.

Lee always had a scheme of how she would make millions with a new idea. She was smart but not a good business person. She always lost money when they failed. She never looked back. Just went on to the next.

Then, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctors offered many options from surgery to chemotherapy to radiation.

She refused them all – instead, she decided to live the way she always did. She bought expensive new clothes and booked a three week luxury cruise to the Orient.

She gave herself an extravagant 70th birthday lunch in an exclusive restaurant. It was over $100. a person. Of course, we all had to pay the bill. But, that was Lee.

She was well for about a year until the cancer took over. She was dying and had no resistance to it happening.

Although she had regrets about the lack of communication with her son and his children, she felt she had not missed a thing in her life. She had been everywhere, done everything. There was nothing else to do.

A few days before she died, she called me and asked me to come to see her.

When I arrived, she was in full makeup and dressed in a beautiful silk nightgown.

Her mind was very clear.

She came right to the point. She said, “I have always thought when you died, you just went into the ethers of the Universe and were no more. I want to know what you think.”

I told her I thought that our identity lived on in spirit. In thought.

And that there was a life that was lived on the other side.

We talked about the Robin Williams movie, What Dreams May Come, where we could create anything we wanted with our thoughts.

She liked that idea.

She said, “I want to live in a beautiful hotel like the Capri Palace, have all the money I want and order anything I need from room service!”

Then, she added, “And if that movie is true, I’ll make a deal with you.

I’ll get back to you somehow and let you know.”

A year later, I went to the ceremony in the cemetery to dedicate her stone.

I had heard nothing from her.

Afterwards, there was a lunch. Her son had come with his children.

We were all sitting around during dessert telling “Lee stories.”

There were so many wonderful and outrageous ones.

Her little eight year old grandson was sitting across from me at the table. He had seldom seen his grandmother.

All of a sudden, he piped up.

“I had a dream about my grandmother last night.”

We stopped to let him talk. He continued,

“I dreamed she was very happy. She was living in a beautiful hotel that was very high on a mountain. You could see all around from that hotel.”

People like Lee leave a big hole in our energy system when they depart this world. They are not ordinary and take up a lot of space that needs to be replaced.

I miss her. So does everyone else who knew this extraordinary and flamboyant character.

She never got a Ph.D. but she used her gifts to get along in life. Beauty, charm, intelligence and a lack of fear to take chances.

Some may regard these as shallow, but who are we to judge someone who did the best they could with what they had?

Corinne…I love this story. What a wonderful way for your friend to send you her message!

One of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received was a message from beyond, from one of my dearest friends in the world, Garry. It’s one of the most special moments in my life, and I’ll share it with you:

Like your friend Lee, Garry was not ordinary! Along with being drop-dead gorgeous, he was fun, witty, crazy, loved and enjoyed life to the fullest, and lightened up the room when he walked in with his big smile. I’ve always felt that, if we have one main purpose in life, that Garry’s was to make people happy…and he did it well. Everyone loved being around Garry. I felt privileged to be one of his dearest friends; he was the little brother I never had and always wanted. We lived in LA and were roommates for a while, until we each moved in with our boyfriends. Our other best friend was Douglas (who still is one of my dearest friends).

A few years later, Douglas moved to Austin, TX, and I moved to Richmond, VA (Garry still living in CA). I was working for Amtrak and traveling all the time, and did not get a chance to go back to California to visit Garry.

Then came AIDS; the early years before better medications, when friends all around me were dying. Garry even joked about it, when he knew he was dying; he could find humor in everything. Even though I couldn’t visit him, we talked on the phone all the time. One day, he called and said the doctors gave him permission to fly, so he was going to visit his parents in Tennessee, then fly to VA “…to see his Patty”. It was both thrilling to see him, and heartbreaking, too. He was thin and frail, pale and his face looked like a skeleton. His body was covered in spots from the melanoma. In spite of that, he still looked beautiful to me, because he still had that radiant grin and sparkling eyes. We had a wonderful few days while he was there. One evening, in a serious conversation about AIDS, he was telling me about the excruciating pain he had sometimes, even with the medication. I told him that, when he was in pain like that, to call on his angels. I said to ask the healing angels to comfort him. I had a New Age meditation CD which we played (and I gave to him) called “Angel Love”, by Aeoliah and suggested he play it when calling on the angels.

After a few days, Garry flew back to LA and was soon after put back in the hospital. I got a phone call one day from Douglas in Austin, saying he had just talked to Garry on the phone. Douglas said, “Garry told me something kind of weird and I don’t understand it, but he said to tell you, and you would know what he meant”. I asked, “What did he say?” Douglas said, ” He told me to tell you that ‘the angels are wonderful’.”

Several months later, Douglas and I got the dreaded phone call from Garry’s parents that Garry was dying and would probably not make it through the night. Garry was now back in Tennessee, where he could die at home instead of a hospital. Douglas and I got flights as soon as possible and flew to Chattanooga to meet at the airport. Then we drove to see his parents, thinking that Garry would not be alive by the time we got there. When we arrived, to everyone’s surprise, Garry had not died in the night. I know in my heart he was waiting for Douglas and me to arrive. It was devastating to see him lying there, almost dead, but I reached down over the bed to hug him, and he slightly opened his eyes and a tear fell down his cheek. A few minutes later, he left his body.

Months later, around Christmas, I was very depressed; I was missing my Garry. One early morning, my cat jumped on the bed, waking me from a deep sleep. I then fell into kind of a simi-sleep state. I wasn’t entirely awake, but not totally asleep, either. I call it a dream sleep. I was feeling so sad and thinking how much I missed Garry and would miss his funny Christmas presents. I thought, “What a bummer; now I won’t get one of his silly Christmas Cards.” At that moment, I felt a bounce on my bed and there, before my closed eyes (still in the dream state), a giant Christmas Card was in front of me, from Garry! It had little funny Angels stickers all over the card, and it said, “Merry Christmas from God”, in Garry’s handwriting. I thought, “…but this can’t be possible; Garry is dead”. At that instant, I had a vision of Garry wrapping his arms around me. He was his gorgeous self again, without the diseased body. He said to me, “I’m not dead, honey. I’m fine; I’m really okay.” At that moment, I woke up. I sat up in bed with my eyes wide open, and I KNEW beyond any doubt that Garry had come to tell me he was okay and to stop grieving. At that moment, a feeling of PEACE swept over me that I had never experienced in my life, nor ever since. It was the most beautiful, peaceful state of being that I can’t possibly describe in words.

This was many years ago, and I still get tears in my eyes whenever I think of that experience. It really was like nothing in this world.

I hope this is not to personnel, but after reading your article again, I felt like sharing it. I know from the depths of my being, that it is possible to receive a message from beyond. It was the best Christmas present ever!

I love this! I would live in the mist. The mist that rolls around the meadows early in the morning. The kind that hangs on the farm fencing. I would live in a place where all the dogs come when you call their names.Nicole Rushin recently posted..I Know This Much is True

Wonderful story – great story telling. Never mind the price we pay, those lucky enough to have been spiritually u-turned consider themselves blessed. [When I die I'll be part of feelings, going 'round the world, looking for souls with welcome mats. I'm told there is great demand for it in some departments :-]

Thank you, Corinne! I’m really glad to have that info; I’ve never heard that before, about the 4th dimension, etc.).

I’ve never been to a seance (although I used to go to an amazing lady who channeled entities through her body). It sounds fascinating, if not a little scary. Do you think it would be dangerous to try to do it yourself, or better left to a psychic or medium?

I know you really like Neal Donald Walsh. Did you read his book, “Home With God [In A Life That Never Ends]? If so, what did you think of it? I loved the book; I just hope it true!

Your writing is beautiful and your words are touching. Having just experienced the loss of a dear friend who was vibrant, vivacious, opinionated and a whole lot of fun; I can relate to your story. Laurie is still alive for me, because my memories of her are so strong. Thanks,

A great story and a great telling of the story, thank you. It would have been better if it was 99 red balloons though
I hear stories of that sort occasionally and they always give me pause to think. So thanks too for the pause.Joel recently posted..Steps for Success in Online Marketing for WordPress

Very moving piece. I’m really interested on this spiritual stuff after the loss of a loved one, you can’t help but wonder, at the end of the day I’m just as scared as I was when I first lost him. Thank you for sharing this.

Thank you for sharing Corinne. I’ve been looking into details on this book. For many reasons I don’t wish to bore you with, nevertheless thank you for your story and the review. I’ll try to find a copy of this book soon.

From the title itself, I knew this is really something amazing. Goose-bumps were all over my body as I read the most exciting part. I do not know her personally, but I must admit that she seems so awesome. I have not heard about the 4th dimension before, but I never had a doubt about how true a spiritual realm is. I am so looking forward to read more of your work. Thanks for making me cry just by reading such an overwhelming excerpt. Kudos!

Nice job, Corrine! The story was so good that I found myself teary-eyed after reading the story. Women should really go for what will make them happy. But if in case, just like what happened to Lee, we were put in a situation that we don’t dream about, then we should still continue to be amazing and awesome. Good job! Thanks for sharing this story.Veronica recently posted..Multi tasking is in anyone’s reach thanks to SuiteDash

Hey Corinne,
You are a great story teller. The manner in which you have portrayed this masterpiece kept me gripped till the end. Indeed, a beautiful story. Spirituality indeed provides solace and a way to connect with the loved ones who are no more with us. Thanks for this lovely story.

Thanks for the sharing I know this is kind a off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My site goes over a lot of the same subjects as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might beinterested feel free to shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Superb blog by the way!